Protection Detail
by PrairieLily
Summary: Takes place during Kill Ari Pt 1, before Ducky's abduction. Written before Kill Ari Pt 2 aired. What we may have seen in the lab as McGee watched over Abby. One chapter, complete.


**Title:** **Protection Detail**

**Rating:** T to be on the safe side

**Disclaimer:** Gibbs, McGee, Tony, Kate, Ducky, Ziva, Shepard, and Ari do not belong to me. If they did, McGee would ditch those silly bulky suits for something more flattering.

**Summary:** What we might have seen in the lab while McGee watched over Abby (considering how friendly they suddenly seemed in part 2, in contrast to the tense snarkiness that seemed to dominate their scenes in part 1)  
**Pairing:** McAbby, DUH! LOL!

**Level of completion:** Done like dinner.

**Author's note:** This was written after Kill Ari (Part 1) aired, but before Kill Ari (Part 2) aired. At this point, McGee and Abby don't know that Ducky has been kidnapped.

* * *

Special Agent Tim McGee sat forward at the desk and put his face in his hands.

He was so tired. He hadn't seen the inside of his apartment in nearly 48 hours. Kate had just been murdered. Tony was tearing him a new one at every opportunity. Gibbs was being nice to the point of creepiness. And if all that weren't bad enough, Ari - and they weren't kidding themselves - they knew damn well it was Ari - had taken a shot at Abby through the lab window.

Which was what was keeping him down in the lab. He had been assigned protection detail, watching over Abby. Much as he hated to admit it, he was glad it was him down here. He couldn't deal with that Mossad woman right now, and avoiding Tony's hurtful wrath was definitely a plus. But he just felt better, knowing for himself that Abby was okay. He knew that Ari was after the women first, he didn't need to worry about Abs on top of everything else.

He watched and listened to her as she worked, processing evidence in the most emotionally difficult case that she'd ever had to work on. He sighed heavily, wondering how he would have handled it if he'd lost Abby too. When he felt himself become queasy, he stopped thinking about it, tried to focus on something else.

How about his book? That would distract him. LJ Tibbs. Tibbs. Gibbs. Gibbs strangely subdued. Gibbs oddly nice. Gibbs calling him Tim, offering to buy his "boys" coffee. Because Gibbs had just lost Kate. They had just lost Kate. They had almost lost Abby, too.

Damn. Wasn't working.

He noticed something disturbing, and got up and walked over to where Abby was. She had stopped working for some reason, and just stood there, staring out the window. Gently, he took her by the arm and placed a hand on her back, and led her away from the shattered glass. She didn't say anything and she didn't protest as he steered her towards a more sheltered spot.

She sighed raggedly, the events of the day once again catching up with her. He watched her as she slowly sank to the floor, stretching out her legs and sagging against the front of the desk. She gazed up at him, immeasurable sadness in her green eyes.

He took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and sat down on the floor next to her. She watched him as he sank to the floor, himself stretching out his long legs and leaning back against the desk. He looked at her, worry and grief and a dozen other emotions she couldn't put her finger on, reflected in his own green eyes.

She reached over with her hand and rested it on his leg. He glanced down, not sure what to think, but waiting for her to say something. Finally, she looked up at him and said, "Tim, would you hold me for a while?"

He didn't even answer her. He just opened his arms, and as she slid over and sank back against him, he closed them around her, enveloping her in a protective embrace. They both sighed softly, lost in their own grief-filled thoughts.

After a while, when she had tightened her hands around his, he looked down at her. Impulsively, he lowered his face and softly kissed her temple. She closed her eyes and took a breath, startled, but not upset. She waited a moment, to see what, if anything, he would do next, and then she closed her eyes sadly, blinking back a fresh wave of tears.

Finally, after a moment, she turned her head to face him, gazing into his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, to apologize for being so presumptuous, but she reached up with her hand and placed a finger on his lips. He held is breath, not sure what she would do. Slowly, she traced her finger down to his chin, and lifted her face to meet his. As their lips met for the first time in what seemed a lifetime, all the tension melted away, and for just a moment, nothing else mattered.

When they finally broke away from their kiss, she leaned against him again. Suddenly, she was incredibly exhausted.

"Will you be staying here, tonight?" he asked her. She hadn't thought about it, really. "I'm not sure, Tim. I guess it just depends on how much work there is to do. I guess you need to know, huh?"

"Until Gibbs tells me otherwise, you're in my protective custody. Where you go, I go."

She moved her hand, laying it flat against his chest. "Works for me. Anyway, he couldn't have left me in better hands. You can at least help me productively with some of this stuff. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can leave. I think I could sleep for a week."

Tim smiled slightly. "Me too. I haven't seen the inside of my apartment in two days. Sooner or later I'll need to get some sleep. Or at least, make a token effort."

Abby nodded. "So we can go to your place, then? I don't think my place would be the best choice, I mean, considering…" she trailed off, her voice becoming thick again as her throat tightened. He reached over and gently stroked her hair. "Well, provided we're even allowed to leave the building, of course we can go to my place. I can take the couch, you can have the bed."

Abby snickered softly. "Oh, you think so, huh? We're both so damn tired, we'll probably just be sleeping, anyway. I appreciate the chivalry, but there's no reason for you to kill your back on that couch. Your bed's plenty big enough for both of us."

Tim's phone rang. He glanced at the display, and answered it. Abby watched as he listened, trying to read his face, then said simply, "Got it, Boss." He closed the phone and looked at her. "Guess that settles that. It's official, nobody leaves the building." Abby nodded. "I figured that would happen," she said, regretfully.

"I still can't believe we lost her like that, Abs," Tim suddenly said. Abby sighed sadly. "I know, it's surreal, isn't it?" She paused a moment, trying, but failing, to control the fear in her voice. "None of us are gonna be safe until that bastard is dead, are we?"

Tim said nothing, tightening his embrace around her. He shivered slightly, something that wasn't lost on Abby, when he thought about that bullet hole in the car. Ari had taken a shot at him, too. Tim had no idea what had changed the terrorist's mind, switching his target instead to his controller. He just knew that he was damned lucky that he wasn't on a steel table in Ducky's autopsy right now, next to Kate.

Reality - 1, Innocence - zip. He could already feel himself becoming jaded, and he didn't like it in the least.

"We'll get him, Abs. Gibbs won't rest until the arrogant bastard is dead. Neither will Tony, and neither will I. David and Shepard are just obstacles. They're thorns in our collective asses. They can't stop us."

Abby closed her eyes briefly, then opened them, and peered over at Tim's watch, checking the time.

Five more minutes. They could afford to rest like this for five more minutes. Then they had to get back to work.


End file.
